In a tweet from James Golding, Unreal Engine lead programmer at Epic, it was revealed that the company plans on introducing mixed reality video output support to Unreal Engine 4. The tweet shows a slide that is part of a presentation at the Unreal Summit in Korea, and explains how Epic plans on introducing mixed reality to the engine.
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Specifically, Epic plans on allowing for new types of camera support in the engine itself to enable mixed reality footage. This includes static and tracked cameras, as well as the addition of “near” and “far” cameras, so you can choose what should be rendered in front of and behind the mixed reality footage. Additionally, Epic will be adding video capture directly into the engine itself. All of these features are planned for sometime in the future.
The creation of mixed reality content is key to demonstrating how VR games work, without having to actually experience the VR game itself. The technique was first seen in use by the developers of Fantastic Contraption for mixed reality livestreams. Later, Audioshield developer Dylan Fitterer used the technique for his own game’s trailer, while Valve itself created a massive mixed reality production to showcase the launch of SteamVR.
With Epic introducing mixed reality support to one of the premier VR engines, we look forward to seeing much more creative mixed reality content to come from VR developers.
